BETHANY W. Va. - The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team staved off last second offensive efforts by Presidents' Athletic Conference opponent, Bethany, in a down-to-the-wire 65-62 win Saturday afternoon.
Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) tallied a season and game high 18 points in the outing. Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) and Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) joined Bezjak in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) tallied a team-high four assists and Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) logged three assists in the game which puts her at exactly 300 career assists. Dryburgh is just the eighth player in school history to reach this milestone. Dryburgh also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds on the afternoon.
The win over the Bison marks the second consecutive three-point win for the Presidents after their 74-71 win over Grove City earlier in the week. The win this afternoon boosts them to a 7-1 overall record with a spotless 5-0 mark in PAC play thus far. Bethany was dealt their first loss in conference play by the Presidents, dropping to 3-1 with a now 4-3 overall record.
Bethany held a five-point lead after the first half of play. The Bison were able to limit the Presidents to 15 points in the first quarter and 13 points in the second while outscoring them by a few points in each quarter to enter halftime at a 33-28 score.
Four Presidents got involved in the third quarter flash of offense that put elevated W&J out front, 50-48, heading into the final quarter of play. Kovalchick put up the first four points in the third quarter on a layup and two made free throws while Jacey Mullen (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Local) ended the quarter with two points for the Red & Black. Sandwiched between the two were five points from Dryburgh and a tide turning 11 points from Bezjak.
W&J was able to edge Bethany with a three-point deficit at the final buzzer by limiting the Bison to 14 points in the final 10 minutes of play. The Presidents scored 15 points of their own to claim the 65-62 victory over their PAC competitor.
The Presidents managed to control the game late with their presence in the paint, holding advantages in rebounds (45-39), second-chance points (9-5) and points in the paint (36-28).
The Presidents return home to take on the Geneva Golden Tornadoes on Tuesday (Dec. 10). Tipoff is set to get underway at 6 p.m.
